While you are thinking and pulling for Sean…..
Please take time this week to give your thoughts and prayers to the Muzaffar family. Tragedy struck Robbinsville again this weekend as Qasim (Q), a freshman standout student athlete at RHS and his younger brother, lost their lives while visiting family in Pakistan. No words can express the magnitude of this loss.
Steve
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday afternoon, March 22
Sean worked hard all week in therapy including some weekend sessions. During one of his physical therapy sessions this week, Sean was lifted from his chair and, with allot of help from the staff at Kessler, took about 20 steps. The therapists are pushing Sean hard to continually improve and he has responded. Slowly but surely, he is regaining command of his body.
Sean continues to work at eating and putting on weight. He has made a point to feed himself throughout his meals. And, although it takes some time, he fights through and has been able to get more and more food down. He has also begun using a straw for his drinks….something he was not able to do a week ago.
Many thanks to those of you who contributed to the “Sean Storybook” that was put together so creatively by Jodi Mindnich for the Nemazies. The compilation of funny, heart warming stories about Sean, has brought Frank and Kathy allot laughs and smiles. It has also served as another reminder as to how lucky we all are to have Sean in our lives and how important his recovery is to everybody.
Lets all hope for another good week and more good news to come.
Steve
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday Afternoon, March 15
There was heavy traffic at Kessler this weekend. Despite the hurricane conditions blowing through NJ, Sean had allot of spring breaking visitors as well as older folks. He is definitely energized by seeing everyone so keep it coming.
Sean had an eye exam this week and it went pretty well. There are some issues especially with his left eye but all these seem correctable per the eye doctor.
Sean is continuing to work on his eating. Meals still take quite a while to get through but Sean is working hard to get some weight back on. He is drinking much better and has begun using a straw which he was not previously able to do.
Sean also seems to be building some strength and is using his arms to move and adjust himself in his bed. The therapists also say that he is helping them more by using his arms and legs more as they move him around during PT sessions.
In case you haven’t heard, there are now “C’mon Sean” bracelets (I think that is what they are called….the kind that Lance Armstrong started with “Livestrong”) circulating around. Any one with info on whether these are called bracelets and info on who started this craze, feel free to respond. Extra bracelets (or whatever) to the winner. Anyhow, thanks to Sean’s Aunt Leslie and Uncle Martin for organizing, designing and shipping these. They are even done in Raven colors and have Sean’s name on the inside…..nice job Leslie and Martin! We are working on how to get these out to all that have shown their support for Sean. For now, I think they are only available at the Nemazie house and the hospital. Stay tuned….we are working on it.
More to come…..Steve
Sean had an eye exam this week and it went pretty well. There are some issues especially with his left eye but all these seem correctable per the eye doctor.
Sean is continuing to work on his eating. Meals still take quite a while to get through but Sean is working hard to get some weight back on. He is drinking much better and has begun using a straw which he was not previously able to do.
Sean also seems to be building some strength and is using his arms to move and adjust himself in his bed. The therapists also say that he is helping them more by using his arms and legs more as they move him around during PT sessions.
In case you haven’t heard, there are now “C’mon Sean” bracelets (I think that is what they are called….the kind that Lance Armstrong started with “Livestrong”) circulating around. Any one with info on whether these are called bracelets and info on who started this craze, feel free to respond. Extra bracelets (or whatever) to the winner. Anyhow, thanks to Sean’s Aunt Leslie and Uncle Martin for organizing, designing and shipping these. They are even done in Raven colors and have Sean’s name on the inside…..nice job Leslie and Martin! We are working on how to get these out to all that have shown their support for Sean. For now, I think they are only available at the Nemazie house and the hospital. Stay tuned….we are working on it.
More to come…..Steve
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday morning, March 8
Sean continues to make strides and steadily improve each day.
He is eating better and has begun to feed himself which shows improvement in his hand eye coordination. He is communicating with hand signals, speech boards, letter boards, and most recently, via typing questions/comments in Microsoft Word. We were able to get Sean setup with his laptop this weekend and it further proved that his mind is working well. He immediately maneuvered around his desktop pulling up various programs and rummaging through his files. He was also able to pull up a game of Icy Tower
Sean is still working on using his right hand (he has been primarily using his left for everything) and his legs. His physical therapy this week included riding on a stationary bike for short periods. Sean was able to pedal on his own for up to 7 minutes.
If you are visiting Sean, be aware that he is seeing well out of his right eye but is struggling a bit with vision in his left eye. So, if you want to show him a picture or have him read something, show him from the right side.
Kathy was able to push Sean around outside for a bit this weekend. Of course, the steep hills of Kessler proved to be quite a challenge for Kathleen. Upon their return to the room, Sean looked quite content for having been able to soak in some sun. Kathy looked a bit like she had been through an olympic workout and immediately inquired about a motorized wheelchair for her next stroll.
More to come…..Steve
Monday, March 1, 2010
Monday Evening, March 1
Sean continues to work hard to regain all his abilities.
He is still re-learning his eating/swallowing skills. It is a long process for Sean to get some food down, but he is fighting through. Hopefully, soon things will come easier and Sean will be able to gain back some of the weight he has lost.
With a bunch of help, Sean was lifted to his feet this week and began to undertake the long process of learning to walk again. Through hand signals and spelling out of words with a letter board, Sean has expressed his determination to get back on his feet.
The progress is slow but it is also steady. One thing for certain is that Sean’s cognitive skills are in tact and he is able to process information and respond to questions quickly. He has also begun to show slight facial expressions and responds with a smile to humor (mind you, it has to actually be funny….some of my material drew a blank stare…understandable).
A highlight of the week came yesterday when Mike Rubenstein orchestrated a game of blackjack in the main waiting room with Sean, Timmy, Steve, and Shawn. Sean was right on his game. Asking for a card or holding via hand signals in a quick and decisive manner. Had there been some cash involved, I am pretty sure Sean would have cleaned up on the group of rookies. Nice work Mike….it was a really neat scene to see Sean hanging with the boys again.
A housekeeping note: As Sean regains his faculties and begins this difficult task of learning to do the simple things again, a situation may occur when he will need some privacy with Frank and/or Kathy or a Kessler staff member (for example when he is eating, moving from the bed to the wheelchair (or vice versa), getting a check up, going to the bathroom, etc). Please just be aware of this on your visits and ask Frank and Kathy if you need to step out of the room when necessary.
More to come soon….Steve
He is still re-learning his eating/swallowing skills. It is a long process for Sean to get some food down, but he is fighting through. Hopefully, soon things will come easier and Sean will be able to gain back some of the weight he has lost.
With a bunch of help, Sean was lifted to his feet this week and began to undertake the long process of learning to walk again. Through hand signals and spelling out of words with a letter board, Sean has expressed his determination to get back on his feet.
The progress is slow but it is also steady. One thing for certain is that Sean’s cognitive skills are in tact and he is able to process information and respond to questions quickly. He has also begun to show slight facial expressions and responds with a smile to humor (mind you, it has to actually be funny….some of my material drew a blank stare…understandable).
A highlight of the week came yesterday when Mike Rubenstein orchestrated a game of blackjack in the main waiting room with Sean, Timmy, Steve, and Shawn. Sean was right on his game. Asking for a card or holding via hand signals in a quick and decisive manner. Had there been some cash involved, I am pretty sure Sean would have cleaned up on the group of rookies. Nice work Mike….it was a really neat scene to see Sean hanging with the boys again.
A housekeeping note: As Sean regains his faculties and begins this difficult task of learning to do the simple things again, a situation may occur when he will need some privacy with Frank and/or Kathy or a Kessler staff member (for example when he is eating, moving from the bed to the wheelchair (or vice versa), getting a check up, going to the bathroom, etc). Please just be aware of this on your visits and ask Frank and Kathy if you need to step out of the room when necessary.
More to come soon….Steve
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